Midsummer Tales
by V. Shalyr
Summary: When Prince Kaito Kuroba was told that he was to be engaged to the witch Akako, he only had one thought on his mind. No way in Hell. AU, KaiShin
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed or D.N Angel.

**Summary**: When Prince Kaito Kuroba was told that he was to be engaged to the witch Akako, he only had one thought on his mind. No way in Hell. AU, KaiShin

**Pairing(s)**: Kaito x Shinichi

**WARNINGS: Shounan ai (boy/boy pairing), you have been warned **

* * *

><p><strong>Midsummer Tales<strong>

**By V. Shalyr**

* * *

><p>Chapter 1<p>

"I see." Kudou Yuusaku laced his fingers in front of him and regarded the young man reclining in the chair across from him with raised eyebrows. "Kaito, you know this is probably one of the first places your father is going to look when you turn out not to be at home."

The young man in question wagged a finger in reply. His perpetually disheveled brown hair gave him a lazy, roguish appearance offset by piercing indigo eyes that Yuusaku knew hid a lot more than they showed. In that respect, the boy was just like his father. "No, it's not. He'll ask you for help looking for me seeing as you're his closest friend, but he wouldn't expect me to actually _be _here."

"And, seeing as—as you said—I am his closest friend, why shouldn't I just tell him the truth?"

Leaning forward, his visitor gave him a completely scandalized look. "He's trying to make me agree to marry a witch! You wouldn't want him to go through with that ridiculous idea, would you? I mean, to have someone like _that _as your next queen?"

Yuusaku opened his mouth then shut it again with a grimace. The young man had a point. The fact that the young woman was a witch really wasn't the problem. There were plenty of witches in the kingdom and many of them had done some very great and commendable things. It was _which_ witch it happened to be. When Toichi had mentioned the proposal to him in passing the other day, he'd nearly choked on his wine. From what he knew of the king from his long acquaintance with the man, he couldn't believe that he would ask his son to marry a person he didn't love, let alone a woman like _that_. But what the man was really thinking, even Yuusaku had to admit that he had no idea.

That was another thing Kuroba Toichi and his son had in common. It made him wonder sometimes just how they had managed to become such good friends. Oh well, it certainly kept things interesting.

"Fine, you can stay here. And I won't tell your father where you are. However," and here he fixed his guest with a stern, fatherly look, "in return, I want you to find some way to let your parents know that you're okay. Need I remind you that you're a prince? You should know better than to go disappearing and worrying everyone like this."

"Will do." Giving him his charming smile which Yuusaku knew hid the shark underneath, Kaito stood to leave the lord's reception chamber. "I'll just be your new court magician for awhile."

Pushing his spectacles up his nose, Yuusaku cleared his throat. "I don't suppose you'd tell me what you're planning?"

Kaito paused with his hand resting on the door handle. Then he tossed a mischievous wink back over his shoulder and, for just a moment, the lord glimpsed a razor sharp grin on his lips. "I'm sorry, that's a secret! But no worries, hopefully, I won't be in your hair for very long."

With that, he vanished through the door, leaving Yuusaku to wonder what in the world he was planning. He was starting to have some suspicions, but he'd have to wait and see what happened in order to confirm them.

.

Kuroba Kaito, crown prince of Kerolei, shut the door quietly behind him and let out a soundless sigh. If truth be told, he wasn't nearly as relaxed about this entire situation as he had let on in front of Lord Yuusaku. In fact, behind the many masks he had constructed for public occasions, he was a lot more angry and frustrated than he would have liked to admit even to himself. And the root of all of it was his father.

Don't get him wrong, he loved his father. Toichi, though he had his stern and serious moments both as a father and a king, loved mischief and mayhem just as much as his son and Kaito had plenty of wonderful memories from when he was younger. But that didn't make up for what had happened only a few days ago.

Toichi had called his son into his study early that fateful morning. Kaito could still envision him dressed in the casual clothes he preferred when he wasn't attending any formal occasions, standing with his face towards the room's only window and his hands clasped behind his back. He had exuded an air of thoughtfulness which immediately sent the warning bells clanging in Kaito's head; his father was planning something and he had to be prepared. But nothing could have prepared him for what his father had said.

So what if he was at the age where he was supposed to be getting married? So what if he hadn't previously shown any outward signs of being interested in anyone?

"_She's a very skilled enchantress." _

Accompanying that statement unsaid being that Kaito himself was a very powerful mage.

"_A lot of people would consider it a good match, both for you and for the kingdom." _

Anyone that didn't know Koizumi Akako personally at any rate, he thought darkly. It was probably only because of his own incredible Gift that she hadn't cursed him already. Okay, so maybe she _claimed _she never put a spell on any of her many, many male followers and it was only her undeniable beauty that caused them to act the way they did around her, but that didn't mean he was going to _believe _it.

"_She's going to be arriving here at the castle tomorrow." _

Well, Kaito absolutely refused to accept this arrangement. That very night, he'd packed what few belongings he needed and snuck out of Half Moon Castle, because he would go to hell and take everyone else with him before he agreed to marry Akako. And he had more than a handful of plans to make sure of that.

Just because he _hadn't _shown any interest in anyone until now didn't mean he _wasn't _interested. He'd just been waiting for the right time. He would have thought his father should know that.

But first thing was first, He had originally bolted from home and made his way here to the Kudou estate to see his favorite person since he was eight.

Lord Yuusaku's son had been about six at the time, and still at the mercy of his crazy, theatre-obsessed mother. Kaito had given his guards the slip again while visiting the area with his father and ended up in the gardens at the back of the Kudou estate—even at eight, he'd been an aspiring escape artist, a questionable skill perhaps more suited to criminals than someone who would one day run the kingdom, but nonetheless useful. And there he had literally run into the younger boy who had been wearing a dress at the time and looking desperate as he'd just run away from Lady Yukiko's dressing room while she hadn't been looking. Now Kaito may have been more than a bit of a rogue all his life, but he'd also been brought up to have impeccable manners when he wanted to employ them. And so being the gentleman that he was, he'd helped the other child to his feet, apologized for the collision with a red rose like his father had just taught him how to conjure, and asked the "pretty princess" what "she" was doing out there. The younger boy had blushed, glared, and informed him bluntly of his mistake, but too late for the nickname not to stick.

They'd spent the rest of that day hiding from their parents together. It was the most fun Kaito had had on one of his father's many trips around the kingdom, and to this date, one of his fondest memories. Yes, a nice, long visit with him should do wonders in soothing his unstable temper.

.

"_Princess_!"

Shinichi jerked away from the window he'd been peeking through at the sudden shout and fell backwards off his perch with a yelp. Only one person in the world would call him that. And sure enough, he was caught by a familiar pair of arms before he could hit the ground and he flailed about to regain his balance.

"Kaito! Will you please keep your voice down? You're going to get me _killed_."

Kaito grinned. "Spying on your sister's suitors again? Who is it this time?"

Joining Shinichi atop the stone bench he'd hastily clambered back onto, Kaito peered through the glass. He spotted the source of his companion's ire immediately, a blond-haired young man sitting across the low table from a young woman with the same blue eyes as the boy beside him. On the table between them sat a neat, porcelain tea set and a small glass vase with a tiny bouquet.

"Oh, I know this one," Kaito observed. "He comes to the capitol city a lot to argue with the head of my guards."

"Huh? Why would he do that?"

"Well, they say they don't like each other, but they're actually very good friends." Kaito paused then added, "So what's wrong with him?"

Moving away from the window and straightening his shoulders, Shinichi sighed, looking a bit disgruntled. "Nothing yet, but I still…"

"Don't like him," Kaito finished for him, smirking. It was a well known fact across the kingdom that Lord Yuusaku's son had made a habit out of chasing away all of his sister's suitors ever since she'd come of age. If they weren't "after her rank" or her inheritance, they were too self centered, too arrogant, or too cowardly. Whatever the reason, as far as Shinichi was concerned, they were never quite good enough. Personally, Kaito thought he was just being overprotective, but maybe it was something you could only understand if you had a sibling and Kaito was an only child.

"So what brings you to this part of the kingdom anyway?" Shinichi asked, changing the subject as he jumped to the ground. "Not that I'm not happy to see you," he added hastily, turning his head away to hide the faint blush that colored his cheeks.

Kaito pretended not to notice.

"Well," he drawled, slipping an arm casually around him and steering them both back in the direction of the castle stables, "don't tell anyone, but I'm hiding out. Father is trying to make me get married."

"What?" Shinichi tensed, stopping to look up at him with wide, shocked eyes. "B—but to who?"

"Akako, if you must know."

For some reason, the younger boy's completely horrified expression made Kaito feel a lot better.

Shinichi could vividly remember the first time he'd met the witch. He'd been visiting Kaito at the magic academy almost all the kingdom's magic users attended. There had been a school-wide competition going on and he hadn't told the prince of his arrival, wanting to surprise him. Because of that, however, Kaito hadn't been waiting for him and Shinichi had been forced to wander the very large campus in search of him. It had been during this search that he'd run across the young woman with her sweeping, deep crimson hair seated in a dimly lit, indoor courtyard surrounded by what had seemed like little dolls. At the sound of him opening the door, she'd turned to look at him with another of the dolls in her hand and Shinichi had realized with growing dismay that said doll bore a startling resemblance to one of the other students he'd seen on his way through the school gates. She'd looked him up and down coolly and then asked with a downright creepy smile whether or not he was going to be one of the competitors.

Shinichi hadn't been stupid enough to say yes.

A lot of the participants had ended up dropping out of that particular competition for unexplained reasons. No one had been able to pin the blame on anyone, or perhaps no one had dared. There were only two students in the school powerful enough to pull such a thing off, and Kaito would never actually hurt anyone, at least not over something as trivial as a game.

He'd heard a lot of stories about the witch in question after that, some of them from Kaito and some of them from everyone else. And as far as he could see, none of them had been good.

"You can't be serious."

At the magician's dark look, Shinichi's stomach dropped. It wasn't just that they were discussing Kaito marrying the witch. It was just that… Well, Shinichi had thought—or hoped that…

"Oh I'm serious all right, and I'm equally serious about it never happening. Now let's stop talking about it and go for a ride, and you can tell me what you've been doing since I saw you last. Oh, and I'll need to borrow a horse. I left mine at home."

"I thought you said you were supposed to be hiding."

Kaito waved his hand dismissively. In the same motion, his entire form seemed to flicker and change so that Shinichi found himself standing next to a slightly older man with ghost-white hair and crimson eyes that anyone who saw him would be bound to remember. "I've got it covered. If anyone asks, I'm the new court mage and you're just showing me around. Let's move out!"

.

For the most part, Kerolei was a relatively peaceful kingdom bordered by mountains on its southeastern borders and ocean on its northwestern front. Its current king Kuroba Toichi made routine visits to every part of the country, firmly under the belief that a good monarch had to be familiar with and understand the people that he ruled. Because of this, Kaito himself had seen more of the kingdom than most youths his age. Normally, he rather liked the city with its hustle and bustle and controlled chaos. But sometimes, you needed time in the quiet of the countryside just to get the noise and the chaos out of your own head.

Kaito found himself smiling his first genuine smile since his father had broken the news to him the day before. The warm, summer air and the rhythmic clopping of their horses' hooves upon the packed dirt road helped him to relax and he wondered why he hadn't thought to come sooner. It really had been too long, more than a month since his last visit.

"So how are your studies going?"

"The usual," Shinichi shrugged, trying his best not to stare at the man on the horse beside him. It just felt so weird whenever Kaito disguised himself like this for one reason or another. Sometimes, he thought that if he looked out of the corner of his eye just right, he'd be able to make out the magician's actual profile beneath the glamour. But that was probably just his imagination. Kaito had graduated at the top of his class at the magic academy and that honor had been well deserved. "I've been helping out the city guard a little and my father says he might start handing some of his duties to me, though Ran's supposed to be the inheritor. He says the experience will do me good."

"Hmm, sounds like my dad too. Though I suppose in my case, I can't really complain."

Shinichi nodded, opened his mouth, glanced at Kaito again then shut it. He knew Kaito had said he didn't want to talk about it but Shinichi couldn't help but wonder what the older boy had in mind. There was no doubt in his own mind that Kaito had a plan and he had several guesses as to what that plan could entail, but guessing and knowing were different things. And Shinichi liked to know—or maybe in this case he didn't, it was so hard to decide. The internal struggle went on for several long minutes before curiosity won out as it pretty much always did.

"So what are you going to do? A—about the engagement I mean."

"Isn't it obvious?" Kaito made a great show of glancing about as though to make sure no one was listening then gave him a sly wink. "I'm going to get engaged to someone else."

"Oh." Shinichi looked away, not sure what to say next. He couldn't quite muster the courage to ask him who he had in mind.

"Hey, Princess, you okay?"

It was strange but Shinichi could never pinpoint when that nickname had stopped bothering him. He'd gone red and gotten mad about it for the first few years of their acquaintance. Then when it became apparent that this just amused the magician, he'd taken to ignoring it. Now whenever Kaito called him that, he found his face reddening for an entirely different reason.

"I'm fine, just tired. I've been up since the crack of dawn when Sir Hakuba arrived."

"That early, huh? Sounds just like him. You know he always carries at least two pocket watches on him? He uses one to check and make sure the other one is accurate. Not that punctuality is a bad thing of course." Kaito had always rather valued punctuality himself. "But there's something wrong with a person who times every appointment he has to the second."

Privately, Kaito wondered if Ran had asked the blond knight to come at such an unholy hour in an attempt to avoid the prying eyes of her nosy younger brother. He wouldn't put it past her. Ever since she'd come of age, she'd had to employ every trick in the book just to get some privacy with the many, many young men seeking to win her hand. Not that it ever worked for long, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to try.

"So who's in charge of the Midsummer Festival here this year?"

"Ran is actually."

The magician grinned. "Perfect. I'll have to speak to her when we get back."

.

Frankly, Ran was amazed. She had spent the entire day with Saguru Hakuba and only spotted her brother spying on them once. She was never that lucky. Luck wasn't exactly a trait that ran in the Kudou family. Something must have happened, and when she spotted her brother returning to the castle alongside an unfamiliar man, it was easy to figure out what. His highness's illusions might have been flawless, but her brother's expressions were not. And Shinichi only interacted that way with one person.

Hakuba had politely excused himself to prepare for dinner and she'd been about to head to her own room to do the same. But crimson eyes caught hers through the window and their owner gestured for her to stay put. Wondering what the prince wanted to talk about, Ran nodded to show that she understood and returned to the table to pour herself another cup of tea.

Kaito arrived moments later, slipping into the room without a sound and shutting the door behind him before letting his disguise melt away. "Good evening, my lady, I trust you've been well?"

"Pretty well, thank you." Sweeping her long hair behind her ears, Ran smiled and gave a small curtsy in greeting. "Can I ask why you're here as someone else?"

"Well," Kaito paused dramatically, "I've got big plans and part of those plans involves me _not _being here quite yet. I was actually hoping to discuss the upcoming festival. I would like to make a couple changes to the program."

"Of course. I've only just started working on it. Whatever you want to add should be no problem." Lowering her voice to a whisper, Ran asked urgently, "So are you finally here to take my brother away then? Because I really like this one and I don't want him ruining everything this time."

Kaito blinked in surprise then smirked. Well, Hakuba _was_ technically a good person. He could deal with him being part of the family if he had to.

"That's what I'm planning to do, yes, but don't tell him. I want it to be a surprise."

Recalling the slight slump to her brother's shoulders when the two had returned, Ran shook her head and sighed. "I won't tell, but really, please don't let it be _too _much of a surprise. You've probably given Shinichi too many white hairs as it is."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kaito replied airily, fixing his disguise back into place and stepping towards the door. "I'll be in touch!"

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><p><strong>TBC… <strong>

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><p>.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed or D.N Angel.

**Summary**: When Prince Kaito Kuroba was told that he was to be engaged to the witch Akako, he only had one thought on his mind. No way in Hell. AU, KaiShin

**Pairing(s)**: Kaito x Shinichi, Hakuba x Ran

**WARNINGS: Shounan ai (boy/boy pairing), you have been warned **

* * *

><p><strong>Midsummer Tales<strong>

**By V. Shalyr**

* * *

><p>Chapter 2<p>

Hattori Heiji often thought that he must have done something terrible in a past life and being assigned as the head of Prince Kuroba Kaito's personal guard was his punishment.

Standing before the closed door of the king's study, he gulped and squared his shoulders. There was really no point in delaying the inevitable; he just had to keep telling himself that.

"Come in."

Cautiously, Heiji pushed the door open and stepped inside, sweeping the man seated at the desk a low, formal bow. "Er, good morning, your Majesty. You asked to see his Highness, right?"

Lowering the document in his hands, Toichi raised his eyebrows. "Yes, I did. And I see that he has not accompanied you."

"Ah no, your Majesty. See, his Highness seems to have, uh, disappeared."

Again. Oh why, oh why had Heiji ever wanted to be in the royal guard?

Piercing, indigo eyes stared at him, prompting him to continue.

"He wasn't in his rooms this morning and we haven't been able to find him anywhere in the city. His horse is still in the stables, but…"

But that didn't mean very much where the crown prince was concerned. For all they could know, he had flown or just transported himself to wherever it was he had gone.

"We also found this on his table."

The scrap of white paper was handed over and the king glanced over its extremely brief message. Heiji had read it over several times himself that morning already, mostly in disbelief—just a note declaring that Kaito had not been abducted, and as far as Heiji was concerned, who would _dare_? Trying not to fidget, he waited nervously for his Majesty's response.

Whatever reaction he'd been expecting, it _hadn't_ been for the king to throw back his head and laugh.

When his mirth finally subsided, Toichi shook his head and tucked the paper away into one of his desk's many drawers. "Good for him."

"Your Majesty?"

"No need to worry, Hattori. My son is doing exactly what he should be. Now, if you would be so kind as to go meet Lady Akako and bring her up here to see me. She should be arriving just about now."

Hattori dithered for a moment, glancing at the drawer into which the prince's note had vanished. Then he shrugged and sighed. There wasn't anything he could do about it so he'd better just let it go. As long as the king wasn't worried, he supposed his own concern was probably unnecessary.

"Right away, your Majesty." Bowing once more, Hattori excused himself from the room and started for the stairs.

Really, years serving the royal family and all he could say was that they were a damned confusing lot of individuals.

.

The problem with ensuring a perfect façade was that time had to be taken out of every day to devote to the act. Granted, he'd always loved magic and taking up the duties of a new court mage really wasn't that much trouble. The hard part was _not_ picking up a reputation. Magic had always come so easily to him and he'd always held such passion for it that it was hard to step back and let his spells be just normal spells. The urge to tweak them, improve them, and improvise was just so great! Luckily, he had very important plans to lay out and they proved adequate in keeping him occupied. Well, that and his dear Shinichi had just been acting so _strange_ lately.

Shinichi sneaking around spying on his sister's suitors was normal enough, it happened all the time. But Shinichi sneaking around trying—and an emphasis on the trying—to spy on Kaito was a different story entirely. The magician just raised an eyebrow behind his perfectly constructed mask and let him carry on, wondering what in Heaven's name his Princess was up to. He didn't mind the attention personally; he loved being in the spotlight and having the attention of his favorite person was certainly a plus. But he could see the people he spoke to throughout the day fidgeting uneasily whenever they noticed the intense, scrutinizing gaze of the local lord's son on them. And inevitably, they did notice, because as soon as Kaito started talking to someone, Shinichi would put on what Kaito liked to call his "thinking face" and completely forget that he was trying not to be seen. Actually, it was all rather funny, but Kaito would still have preferred to know _why_.

Well, he was going to find out. Whatever was on his Princess's mind, it seemed to be distressing him far more than anything should, especially anything concerning Kaito.

Sending the servant away to deliver a talisman requested by one of the court ladies, Kaito stepped into an empty room and cast a quick spell before backtracking and walking through the wall to appear behind his target. "Hey, Princess, looking for someone?"

Shinichi spun around, clutching his notebook to his chest like he was afraid that Kaito might try to steal it. "Er, no, not really. I was just, uh…"

He trailed off, floundering for a good, believable reason why he'd just been standing there. He'd never been all that good at lying. Whenever they'd gotten into trouble when they were younger, it was Kaito's silver tongue that usually got them out of it. Granted, that was only fair seeing as it was usually Kaito who had gotten them into said troubles to begin with.

Taking pity on him, Kaito broke the awkward silence with a shrug. "Never mind. I've got a few things I need to do in the city. If you're not busy, why don't you come with me? We can start with lunch."

Ran watched the pair depart from the crack between the door and doorframe of a sitting room further down the hall and crossed her fingers, hoping for the best. She'd practically watched the two fall in love over the years, and really, she rather believed she'd noticed before either of them had realized it. It was almost baffling how much they seemed to balance one another out, how much they fit together. It wasn't even that they were completely different because they weren't. They had a lot of things in common, which was really where any lasting relationship had to start. But they were different in all the right ways. Perhaps that was why people called it having "chemistry".

Kaito rushing about the grounds with Shinichi in tow had been such a common sight when they were little and the royal family was visiting Beika. It didn't matter where they had each started out during the day. You could count on the fact that eventually, they would end up in the same place. Even as a child Ran had thought it was adorable, especially when her baby brother would pout and complain whenever the prince gave him a flower. She couldn't even begin to count just how many flowers Shinichi had received from the magician over the past decade, but she could remember when Shinichi had stopped complaining and then started blushing instead. She clearly remembered noting it down in her diary. She'd been—what? Twelve at the time? Which meant Shinichi had been ten.

"So have they gone?"

Easing the door shut, Ran turned to give Hakuba a triumphant smile. "Yes, they are. I told you it would happen sooner or later. They've always been like that. Neither of them ever likes to say anything when something's bothering them but the other one always knows. And if you just wait long enough, they'll do something about it."

The knight's eyebrows rose at that. "I thought the court magician was new here."

Ran blinked then covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes going momentarily wide. Oh, she'd been so caught up in her contemplations that she'd forgotten. But then again, she was seriously considering marrying this man. She'd better be able to trust him. "You can keep a secret, right?"

"Of course," Hakuba said firmly, but then hesitated and coughed, "however… If whatever the secret is may put someone at risk, I may feel compelled to do something about it."

Ran giggled. Yes, she definitely liked this one. "No, I wouldn't ask you to keep a secret like that either. Anyways, his Highness and my brother have been pretty close since we were kids."

"His Highness?" Hakuba repeated, his brow furrowed. She could see the realization dawn in his eyes and he gaped for a moment, turning his stare to the closed door then back to her. "You mean that was the prince?"

"In disguise," Ran agreed, "but don't tell anyone. He doesn't want people to know yet. He's got plans and you know how he hates people messing with his plans."

The blond knight shuddered. He knew all right. Anyone who had ever been part of the Royal Guard knew you didn't mess with Kuroba Kaito if you wanted to stay sane. "But why is he here? Does the king know?"

Tapping her chin thoughtfully, Ran leaned back against the door. "Probably not seeing as it's his father he's hiding from. But his Majesty hasn't earnestly started searching for him yet either, which if you ask me probably means that he knows _something_."

Sometimes, Hakuba wondered if the people of other kingdoms had to spend so much time wondering just what exactly was running through the minds of their monarchs.

"And the prince?"

Ran's smile widened again. "I'm pretty sure he's going to ask my brother to marry him. I mean, we've all been expecting him to eventually. The biggest mystery is why he hasn't done anything before now."

Even their parents had noticed. Ran always thought that was why they'd never even talked about looking for a possible match for their son, even though he was only two years away from being considered ready for marriage.

Hakuba opened his mouth then shut it again, the expression on his face warring between confusion, shock, and horror. His mind knew that practically all the ladies in the kingdom found the prince irresistibly charming, but his imagination couldn't handle the idea of anyone wanting to marry the man.

Perhaps reading his mind—well, honestly you didn't have to, it was written clearly enough across his face—Ran sighed. "It's not that strange, you know. His Highness is a very good person when you get to know him and he's always been very caring with Shinichi. He's probably the only person I know that Kaito will tell the truth and get into trouble for."

That wasn't exactly Hakuba's idea of caring, but he supposed he could see why that was unusual where Kuroba was concerned.

There was a moment of silence during which the two occupants of the sitting room just looked at one another before Hakuba straightened up and gave Ran a polite bow.

"So shall we visit the falconry?"

.

Kaito loved Beika city. There wasn't anything particularly special about the place itself per say but it held so many memories. Shinichi could see the reminiscent smile on his friend's lips, which was why it surprised him when Kaito led them to a restaurant they had never been to before for lunch.

It was a small but very well decorated place near one of the quieter neighborhoods. Small tables had been placed about its mostly outdoor seating area amidst a whole lot of roses. Shinichi had never seen so many roses in one place except for in the gardens of the royal palace in the capitol.

"Do you know if this place is any good?" he asked quietly. He couldn't even tell what kind of food the place sold.

"Do I ever take you anywhere that isn't?" Kaito asked back.

"Well, there was that exotic foods place two years ago. Half the food was unidentifiable and the other half tried to crawl off my plate."

Kaito grimaced. "That was only once in ten years. I'd say I've done pretty well. Besides, this place has a very good reputation."

And really, the food did turn out to be pretty good, if not quite as good as the chefs had made them look with their careful arrangements and flower patterns. Out of the corner of his eye, Shinichi noticed that all the tables in the restaurant seemed to be designed for only two people and those pairs all seemed to be couples. It made him feel rather uncomfortable, but then Kaito started talking and he forgot that they were surrounded by other people or that anyone might be watching them.

"Do you remember the first Midsummer Festival we went to together?"

Carefully removing the cream rose on top of his cake—he didn't really like sweets but it seemed like such a shame to ruin the art—Shinichi thought back. The first time—oh, he remembered now. "How could I forget? I was so upset because you'd promised to take me but then you went and got yourself grounded by your mother for that stunt with the fire."

"Well, I got us there in the end anyway," Kaito mused, deftly stealing the cream flower from Shinichi's plate. No point letting perfectly good sugar go to waste.

"At the cost of having an extra week added to your sentence," Shinichi pointed out. That had meant that for the rest of that visit, Kaito had been stuck indoors. Shinichi remembered it vividly since he'd ended up spending all that time indoors with him, trying to make sure his friend didn't go crazy—or more crazy than he already was.

Across the table, Kaito just smiled, one of those rare, completely genuine smiles that Shinichi fancied he got to see more often than anyone else. "Yes, but it was worth it."

Going slightly pink, Shinichi averted his eyes. "Thanks."

He couldn't remember if he'd ever told Kaito how much that particular incident had meant to him, though he was almost positive the prince knew and that that was why he'd tried so hard to make sure they'd been able to go. His parents had always insisted that he stay with them before that during the festival. Festivals were, after all, noisy and chaotic places not always the safest for children by themselves, especially children belonging to influential people like the lord and lady of the area. So when his parents had told him that he could go explore the festival without them as long as he stayed with the older boy, he'd been so excited.

Reaching across the table, Kaito took his hand and pulled it up to brush a kiss across the back. "You're always welcome. Now come on, I did say I had some business that needs attending to."

At least his Princess was a lot more relaxed now. Perhaps he'd just needed a healthy dose of attention. That was certainly something Kaito could understand and the solution was simple enough. He was never too busy to make time for Shinichi.

.

So it was that instead of just heading straight from the fireworks maker to the lantern shop, Kaito had them stop in one of the city squares that had a water fountain in it and got them each a cup of coffee. His Shinichi loved coffee. He himself… Not so much, but with enough hot chocolate mixed in, it had managed to become an acquired taste.

And instead of heading straight from the lantern shop to the jewelry store, they stopped by the art museum and visited their newest exhibit. Some of their exhibits changed from month to month and it was really hit or miss whether they were interesting or not, but finding out was half the adventure. By the time they left that, Shinichi had almost forgotten that he'd been losing sleep trying to discover just who it was Kaito intended on asking to marry him.

Almost.

The Suzuki jewelry store was the largest in Beika, owned by the incredibly wealthy Suzuki merchant family. The moment its gold-rimmed glass doors came into view, Shinichi braced himself. Ran was great friends with the daughter of the family who had started working in the store more often since returning home from school, but she and Shinichi had never quite seen eye to eye.

Kaito had been fifteen and Shinichi thirteen when they'd first met Sonoko Suzuki. She'd just started classes at the magic academy and had stood in complete awe and adoration of Kaito, already at the top of his year and even giving most of the older students a run for their money. Even Kaito had been shocked speechless—quite a feat for sure—when he had arrived in the academy courtyard to meet Shinichi only to have the girl throw herself at him with an ear-splitting squeal. Luckily for Sonoko, not having known her yet for the hazard that she was, the prince had caught her out of instinct instead of stepping out of the way and steadied her before stepping away from her. She hadn't even noticed Shinichi watching the scene play out from beside his horse as she launched into what sounded like the story of her life, the words spilling from her at a mile a minute. Kaito had listened politely for a very long minute before deciding the girl wasn't going to stop anytime soon and excused himself to bound over and pull Shinichi into a bone-breaking hug. It wasn't every day that his Princess was able to visit him at school.

From that day onward, they had seen Sonoko around every corner. Shinichi stayed for several months on that particular visit, having deemed it worthwhile to at least understand how magic fundamentally worked, and the girl found every excuse she could to intrude and attempt to attract Kaito's attention. And every time he saw her at it, Shinichi would find a strange, unpleasant feeling welling up in his chest.

It had taken Shinichi a month to finally identify the feeling as jealousy. He'd never experienced it before and he hadn't liked it. It wasn't even like he had any reason to envy her, except perhaps for the fact that his stay at the academy was temporary and she'd still be there with Kaito when he left. For inexplicable reasons, that thought had been depressing, at least until Kaito had extracted the cause of his unhappiness from him and proceeded to laugh and reassure him that he wouldn't be able to get rid of him that easily.

What else had Kaito said then? Shinichi frowned, following the prince through the glass doors and into an almost dazzlingly bright showroom full of display cases. Now that he was thinking about the incident, something about it felt important. It had also had something to do with the Midsummer Festival, he was sure of it. But what was it?

Shinichi hung back as Kaito resumed his persona as the court magician helping out with the festival preparations, glancing idly at the rings, necklaces, and bracelets laid out upon platforms of satin behind the glass. What had happened at that Midsummer Festival?

"You!"

Jerked out of his thoughts by the shriek, Shinichi glanced around in panic for a moment before spotting Sonoko hurtling towards him. She screeched to a halt in front of him, her eyes gleaming as she jabbed a finger in Kaito's direction.

"Who is that? You arrived with him, didn't you? Well? Tell me! I'm sure I would have noticed him around town before."

Shinichi recognized the light of speculative obsession creeping onto her face and scowled in return. "Don't get any ideas. He's off limits."

Sonoko's eyebrow shot up at that and she folded her arms across her chest. "Why so hostile, Kudou? You've already _got_ a boyfriend."

"What? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh please," the young woman rolled her eyes. "I'm talking about his Highness, duh. I mean, you _were_ the one he took to that school dance last year, weren't you?"

"Um, yes?" Shinichi wasn't sure where this was going. That had been one damned awkward dance. The entire female population of the school seemed to have been out to get him and would shoot him rather venomous glares whenever they thought Kaito wasn't looking. They'd left the moment they could get away without seeming discourteous.

"And the one he ditched exams for to visit that time you got sick? Ran told me all about it. He was lucky the teachers let him retake them. I don't think they wanted to fail him and risk having to deal with him for an extra semester."

Oh, Shinichi hadn't known about that. And now that he did, he couldn't help but feel a bit guilty.

Sonoko stared at him for a long moment as though waiting for something then let out an exasperated sigh. "Never mind."

And with that, she stomped off muttering under her breath about how Shinichi was "utterly hopeless" and how "unfair" it was that he was the one who got the man. And what was she doing wrong anyway? The world was so full of injustice when a perfectly wonderful girl like herself was still single.

Listening to her fading rant, Shinichi wondered about the boyfriend he could have sworn Ran had told him that the girl had. Whoever he was, he felt rather sorry for him with how the girl seemed to forget he existed half the time.

What he really needed though was some quiet, undisturbed thinking time. Whatever her reasons, Sonoko's words had finally jarred something in his mind.

Kaito did spend an awful lot of time with him. Thinking back, it had almost always been that way and maybe that was why he'd started to take it all for granted—that that was how the relationship between them would always be. It was frightening to think that things could be different. But at the same time, just because things changed didn't mean they would have to change for the worse. Whatever decisions Kaito had made or were making, he should just relax and trust him. After all, his prince had never failed him before and if there was one thing he could be sure about it was that Kaito cared for him, whatever kind of care that might be.

"Amazing, you actually look calmer after talking to Miss Suzuki," Kaito observed, returning to his side with a slight question in the crimson eyes of his illusionary self. "I never thought I'd see such a day."

Shinichi just smiled. "So are you done here?"

Letting the matter drop, the magician put on a lopsided grin. "For today, yes. It's getting close to dinner time. The store owner has just informed me that the new restaurant down by the lake has been making quite a name for itself."

"Down by the lake?" Shinichi blinked, his smile turning into a small frown. "But their whole theme is food from the lake. You hate fish."

"Yes, I know. Which is why we're not eating fish. But I hear that their roast duck is quite good."

* * *

><p><strong>TBC… <strong>

* * *

><p>.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Detective Conan/Case Closed or D.N Angel.

**Summary**: When Prince Kaito Kuroba was told that he was to be engaged to the witch Akako, he only had one thought on his mind. No way in Hell. AU, KaiShin

**Pairing(s)**: Kaito x Shinichi, Hakuba x Ran

**WARNINGS: AU (alternate universe), Shounan ai (boy/boy pairing), you have been warned **

* * *

><p><strong>Midsummer Tales<strong>

**By V. Shalyr**

* * *

><p>Chapter 3<p>

"What? My father's going to be _here_? But he always attends the festival at the capitol."

Turning from the window of his study, Yuusaku watched the prince set Toichi's letter down with a dramatic sigh. Somehow, the young man didn't seem nearly as bothered as his exclamation implied. "I thought it only fair that I should let you know. He will be staying here at the castle. So what will you do?"

"What indeed," Kaito mused, rising to his feet. "Well, thank you for the heads up. It's greatly appreciated. I'm afraid it seems that I won't be able to remain here at the castle, so I'll see you at the festival tomorrow night. Have a good evening."

Lord Yuusaku waited until the door had closed behind him before picking up the king's letter and rereading it himself. He couldn't really say he was surprised by his Majesty's seemingly out-of-the-blue decision. He rather suspected that Toichi had anticipated his son's reactions and actions upon being informed of his impending engagement to Akako Koizumi. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he believed that even the idea of that particular engagement had been but a ruse on the king's part. Though what exactly he hoped to accomplish by it…

The lord shook his head and stowed the letter away in a desk drawer. Technically, how his friend chose to handle his family affairs wasn't any of his business, but seeing as it inevitably involved his own family due to the nature of the particular issue at hand this time, perhaps he should have a word with him when this entire fiasco was finally over.

.

_There were lights everywhere, gold and violet, red and blue and green, all throwing the streets of the capitol into a rainbow of brilliance. Shinichi had seen few sights more impressive, but that was to be expected from a festival being held at the capitol, especially when the event had been handed over to the magic academy to organize. _

"_Are you sure it's okay if I stay here?" he asked a little anxiously, watching his friend's hands making complicated gestures above the pile of fireworks. _

"_Of course it's okay," Kaito assured him, tying off his spell and straightening, indigo eyes agleam with anticipation. "Everyone's welcome at the Midsummer Festival." _

"_Yes, but not usually backstage." _

"_Well, luckily for you, I'm in charge backstage today." Giving his handiwork one last inspection, the prince nodded to himself in satisfaction then grabbed Shinichi's hand. "Come on, we're going to the roof. We'll have the best view from up there." _

"_Is there something special about these fireworks?" _

"_You need to ask? I made them. I thought you were watching." _

"…_Good point." _

_Even from the rooftop, they could smell the sweet aromas wafting up from the various venders' stalls along the streets. Lanterns marked out the streets in bright intervals, wreathed in dancing mage lights that occasionally flickered out when children tried to catch them before whirling back into life above their heads. Shinichi sat down carefully on the slanted shingles, hoping he wouldn't slip. It was a long way to the ground below. Kaito paced for a moment behind him, too full of energy to stay still, his footsteps eerily silent. _

"_Do you know why the Midsummer Festival is such a huge occasion, Princess?" _

_Pulling his legs up to his chest, Shinichi wrapped his arms around them and rested his chin on his knees. "It has something to do with the beginning of the kingdom, doesn't it?" _

"_Yeah." Kaito paused beside him, his eyes wandering from the lanterns up towards the dark sky. "Kerolei used to be two smaller kingdoms and they were always at war with one another. The fighting only ended when a marriage alliance was agreed upon by the two royal families. I've always thought it rather strange though." _

_Shinichi tilted his head back to peer up at him curiously. "How so?" _

_Kaito shrugged though the expression on his face seemed oddly intense. "This is supposed to be a festival celebrating love. And yet from all the records we have, the prince and princess who had to fulfill the engagement didn't love one another." _

_Shinichi blinked then looked back down at the people enjoying the festivities. He'd never really thought about it, but Kaito had a point. It did seem a bit strange. "Maybe they hoped that love would come eventually since they had to be together." _

_Kaito hummed thoughtfully. "Maybe you're right. I suppose we'll never know for sure." _

_Flopping down next to Shinichi, he slung an arm around his shoulders and turned to smirk at him, a mischievous light in his eyes. "Either way, I'm not like them. I'm only ever going to spend this festival with someone that I really care for." _

_Shinichi wasn't sure how he was supposed to respond to that. He had the feeling Kaito was trying to tell him something in that roundabout way he had, but before he could try to figure out what that was, the fireworks went off and his attention was captured by the shower of white sparks that took the image of countless silver birds before fading away. _

_The sight was breathtaking and Shinichi was about to tell Kaito so, but the magician was frowning when he looked his way. _

"_That's not what I was aiming for," he muttered. "I wanted them to be more alive, not just disappear like that. It worked the last time I tried it. What did I do wrong?" _

_And the moment was past, melting back into the thunder of the fireworks being shot up into the sky… _

Shinichi woke slowly, the image of those fireworks still lingering against the backs of his eyelids. That dream, or rather that memory, had been from the Midsummer Festival two years ago when he'd been at the magic academy.

"_I'm only ever going to spend this festival with someone that I really care for…" _

Had that… Had that been Kaito's way of telling him that he loved him?

Rolling onto his side, he stared into the darkness of his room. Unlike his sister's room, his didn't have all that much in the way of decoration. Mostly, it was just full of books—notebooks, regular books, and folders full of case reports from his work with the local guard stations. The last time Kaito had been in his room, he'd called the place a "fire hazard" and spent the afternoon putting protection spells on everything, including Shinichi.

Speak of the Devil, he thought, sitting up as the darkness about the door suddenly shifted. "Kaito?"

The figure by the door paused then moved closer to the bed. Shinichi tensed but relaxed when the figure finally spoke, confirming his original suspicions of its identity. "You're awake?"

"Were you not expecting me to be?"

"Well, yeah, it's two in the morning."

"Good point. So what are you doing sneaking into my room at two in the morning?"

"I was actually coming to wake you up, but you've saved me the trouble."

The shadows shifted again and a weight settled on the side of his bed. Shinichi could finally make out his friend's features with the assistance of the moonlight coming through the crack in the curtains. He still couldn't read the expression on his face though and he wondered if he should be worried.

"Why? Did something happen?"

"You could say that. It seams that my father will be arriving here tomorrow morning. I can't stay here. Father has an enchanted monocle that lets him see through all spells."

Shinichi yawned, reluctantly allowing himself to be dragged from beneath the warm covers. "You mean like the one you made for yourself as your graduation project?"

"Exactly."

"So what does this have to do with me?"

Kaito paused in the process of retrieving what looked like a travel pack from the floor. "Technically? Nothing. But I was hoping you'd come with me."

Shinichi could hear the slight hesitation in his words and he smiled softly, though he wasn't sure if Kaito could see it in the dark. If he didn't want to go, Kaito wouldn't make him. But he would be disappointed.

"Fine, fine, just give me a moment to get my coat."

Before Shinichi could do just that, however, Kaito draped said coat over his shoulders. "Already done."

Pulling the sleeves on, Shinichi buttoned the coat and eyed the bag in Kaito's hand. "Can I assume you packed for me too?"

"Yup."

"Okay then, where are we going?"

He couldn't see it but he could hear Kaito's grin in his voice. "Camping, anyone?"

.

It wasn't the first time they had gone camping, though it was the first time they'd started out at such an unholy hour. They didn't speak much as they made their way away from the castle and into the woods, Shinichi because he was still a bit tired and Kaito because he was unwilling to break the early morning calm. They kept moving until they hit a small creek then turned and followed the flowing water upstream until they came to a comfortable clearing with a few nice boulders along the streambed. Shinichi gathered some wood and lit a fire while Kaito put up a tent and produced sleeping bags from somewhere. As soon as that was done, Shinichi appropriated one of these and lay down next to the fire.

"You're not going to use the tent?" Kaito asked, breaking the silence for the first time.

Shinichi opened his eyes and turned to look at him. "You're staying out here, aren't you?"

Kaito watched him for a moment then smiled slightly. "Thanks."

Silence fell once more after that and Shinichi shut his eyes, listening to the crackle of the burning kindling. Kaito seemed to have fallen into a slightly melancholy mood and simply sat leaning against one of the boulders, his gaze straying from the flames to the stars and back again. If Shinichi hadn't seen him dozing on at least one occasion, he would have wondered if the prince ever slept. Shinichi wondered what he was thinking about.

"Shinichi…"

It felt almost strange to hear the magician use his given name. "Yeah?"

"If you could go anywhere in the world, anywhere at all, where would you want to go?"

"I've never really thought about it. I guess anywhere I haven't been."

Kaito chuckled at that answer, and Shinichi asked, "What brought that up all of a sudden?"

"Oh, nothing really. Just thinking about the future." Folding his arms behind his head, Kaito leaned back to direct his gaze once more towards the stars. "I kind of wish I'd been born in a different family, or maybe had some siblings so I won't have to take the throne after Father steps down. Sometimes, it seems like we're all trapped in this huge pattern of things."

"That sounds strange coming from you," the black-haired boy mused. "You're too good at bending the rules to complain about them. Besides, if I know you, you wouldn't trust that kind of authority to anyone else anyway. You care about this kingdom too much to really keep your nose out of its business."

"I guess you're right. Ah, the burdens of passion."

There was a long pause then Shinichi added a little self consciously, "But that's one of the things that make you such a good heir. I'm glad that you're the one who's going to be the king someday. I'd hate to think what would happen to the peace we have if it was going to be anyone else."

Because Kaito was just kind enough, just thoughtful enough, and just careful enough of the details. And the fact that he could talk or trick his way into whatever he wanted was complemented by the fact that deep down, he had a very good heart. It was a rare enough combination to begin with, let alone in a royal heir, and Shinichi had always thought Kerolei rather lucky to have ended up with two such rulers.

"Aww, that's such a sweet thing to say, Princess." Kaito smirked, reaching out to ruffle his hair.

Shinichi scowled and swatted unsuccessfully at his hand. "Don't treat me like a child. You're only two years older than me."

For some reason, this made the prince laugh. Rising to his feet, he stretched and made a beckoning gesture with his hand. In response, the second sleeping bag levitated itself from the tent and drifted to the ground next to Shinichi's. That done, the magician lay down next to him and dimmed the fire with another wave of his hand. The flames didn't get smaller, just seemed to fade out a little like the ghost or the memory of a fire.

Shinichi stared at it and shook his head, turning his back to it. "That's creepy."

This earned him another laugh and Kaito scooted closer to him. "Then maybe it can scare away anything that might want to eat us."

Blue eyes that had been about to close snapped open again at that. "What? You mean you didn't put up any wards? I thought you always—!"

He was cut off by a finger on his lips and he flushed. Kaito was awfully close.

"I was just kidding. Of course I put up wards. Now go to sleep. We have a long day ahead of us."

"We?" Shinichi couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, we."

.

Putting the finishing touches on her hair, Ran turned in a slow circle, examining herself in the mirror. Flower hairpin designed after her namesake, check. Makeup, check. Hmm, maybe she should have gone with the blue dress instead of the red? Sure, red was her favorite color, but perhaps blue would have gone better with her eyes.

A soft knock came at the door and she called back, "Come in!"

There was a pause then the door opened to reveal Hakuba dressed formally in shades of deep brown. Well, at least the red certainly went well with that.

"How do I look?" Ran asked, turning in a circle yet again so he could see.

The knight blinked and smiled. "Beautiful."

Ran smiled back. "Would that be your answer no matter what?"

"…Yes?"

She laughed and hooked her arm through his. "At least you're honest. Let's go then. We don't want to be late, right?"

"Of course, my lady. And your brother?"

Ran frowned a little. "I wanted to pick him up on our way out, but I went by his room earlier and he wasn't there."

"Did you check his Highness's quarters as well?"

"I did and it's been swept clean. No one seems to know where he's gone, but I'm sure he'll be at the festival and that means my brother will make it there in one way or another. His Highness never lets him skip."

Hakuba made a noncommittal noise in his throat. He still found it completely bizarre how well the two young men apparently got along. According to Heiji Hattori—who was definitely not a friend of his, the prince really wasn't all that close with anyone. He got along with practically everyone and held a position of great respect in the minds of the common people, but when you really examined the heart of the matter, not many people really _knew_ him. Hakuba rather thought it had something to do with how he somehow always seemed to be two steps ahead of everyone else, or the way he so easily manipulated people and circumstances to steer things towards his own desired outcomes. It was hard to get close to someone who spent all his time making himself so damned complicated.

Speaking of complicated people, the knight added as an afterthought, "I wonder if his Majesty is here for the festival as well."

Ran stopped so suddenly in her tracks that Hakuba almost ran into her. "What? The king's here?"

"He arrived very discreetly earlier this morning."

"Well, I guess that explains why the prince is missing." Ran shook her head and started walking again. There was just always so much drama when the royal family got involved. Not that she was complaining. It was nice to have a bit of drama in life now and then as long as she could keep herself out of the war zone. "I wonder if—oh, Shinichi? Shinichi!"

They had emerged into the courtyard and she spotted her brother's familiar figure standing in the shadow of one of the trees beyond the front gate. He was already dressed in clothes appropriate for the festival, though he was fidgeting a little with the rich fabric. He jumped at the shout of his name and spun towards them, gesturing wildly for them to not be so loud. Ran raised her eyebrows at that but made no comment.

"Where have you been all morning?" she demanded as they finally reached the tree.

Her brother shifted his weight from foot to foot, glancing around as though trying to make sure no one was close enough to overhear. "Camping. I only just got back to change twenty minutes ago."

"And his Highness?"

"He went on ahead. He said he'd find me once I get to the city plaza."

"So what are you doing here then?"

Shinichi scratched the back of his head a little sheepishly. "I just thought I'd try to see if I could get a look at the king when he left. Kaito seems really intent on avoiding him. I figured it would help if we knew at least whether he was attending officially or…well, undercover."

"He's attending officially," Hakuba spoke up confidently. "He was already dressed for the part when I saw him with Lord and Lady Kudou."

Shinichi nodded, his expression turning contemplative. He couldn't shake the feeling that the king probably knew exactly what his errant son was up to. The question then was simply what the man intended to do about it. So far, it seemed strangely like the answer was nothing.

"Let's go then." Looping her arm through Hakuba's, Ran started determinedly towards the city, dragging the knight with her. "Come on, Shinichi. The entire festival is waiting."

.

The first thing Shinichi noticed upon reaching the city was the myriad of lanterns. Lanterns were customary decoration for the Midsummer Festival, but something about these particular lanterns nagged at the back of his mind.

"Oh, wow," Ran exclaimed upon spotting them, pausing beside one of the feathery, crimson lanterns to admire the paint and paper artistry, "I thought they stopped making these years ago."

"How many years?" Shinichi asked suspiciously.

"I'm not sure. Six or seven?"

"Eight," Hakuba supplied, surprising the both of them. "The last year they used them was eight years ago. The trend changed after that from the bird theme to the butterflies we see more commonly now."

The knight shifted a little uncomfortably as both siblings stared at him. "What? I like birds. I used to collect those lanterns."

"Oh." Ran blinked then smiled. "You'll have to show them to me sometime."

Lanterns from a style that went out of fashion eight years ago, Shinichi made a mental note of it then shoved it to the back of his mind. He had a feeling it might be important.

The moment they set foot in the plaza, they were accosted by men and women obscured in fancy costumes of brilliant cloth. Garlands of flowers were draped around their necks and bracelets hung with miniature lantern replicas were pressed into their hands. As soon as they had arrived, the people moved on to another party that had just arrived in the main square and a familiar figure seemed to materialize out of the chaos.

"Princess!"

Hakuba's eyebrows rose dramatically at the nickname but Shinichi refused to meet his questioning stare as Kaito slid an arm around his waist and drew him away from his companions. "Kaito, I thought you're supposed to be hiding!"

"I didn't want to spend the night in disguise," the prince said dismissively, apparently unconcerned. Turning, he acknowledged the other two with a nod and a smile. "Sir Hakuba and Lady Ran, I wish you both a delightful evening. I'll just be taking Shinichi here off your hands."

Not waiting for a response, he guided Shinichi into the crowd with his arm still around his waist. "Come on, Princess, we've got a schedule to keep!"

"What schedule?" Shinichi asked nervously. There was a strange feeling gathering in the pit of his stomach but he stubbornly refused to try to analyze it.

Instead of answering, Kaito pulled him up to one of the many stalls lining the plaza. Leaving a few coins on the counter, he swiped two of the pastries from the colorful trays and passed one to his companion. The miniature cakes had been made into the shape of tiny boats, their sails carved of sliced fruit and whipped cream. These too, he noted with some bemusement, seemed oddly familiar. Why boats? He couldn't remember any boats in the story behind the Midsummer Festival. Hold on, though there was that one city that held boat races on this particular festival night. Shinichi couldn't remember the name but he could remember watching the race that one time. It had been shortly after Kaito had started classes at the Academy. The magician had "escaped" the school and kidnapped Shinichi from his own home, intent on breaking what he'd called "the monotony of our everyday lives". It had been fun to visit a city they'd never been to before even though they ended up both getting into trouble with their parents.

"It's good, yes?" Kaito inquired casually, polishing off his own pastry.

Shinichi nodded. "But shouldn't we go for something more filling first? We haven't had dinner yet."

"All in due time."

This earned him a slightly disgruntled sigh mixed with more than a touch of exasperation. "Sometimes, I wish you wouldn't be so mysterious about everything. And… Well, should you really be spending so much time with me?"

Didn't Kaito have plans he needed to see to?

"Of course I should. There's no one I would like to spend today with more."

And even if he told himself that the prince always talked like that, Shinichi couldn't help but blush and look away from that brilliant smile that usually had women falling over themselves to vie for Kaito's attention. Charming really was the only word to describe it, and Shinichi had often wondered if there wasn't real magic in that look. But perhaps it was just the power of flattery and manners. Sweet words really were the instrument of the Devil.

"And now to dinner," Kaito announced interrupting his thoughts, shepherding him onward once more through the crowd. "We've got a reservation."

Which they were almost late to because halfway to their destination, Kaito spotted an all too familiar head of dark brown hair. Sighing in exasperation—what was it with people from the royal palace popping up everywhere?—he pulled Shinichi into the doorway of one of the shops along the plaza and pulled his cloak about the both of them, the dark fabric melding into the shadows of the archway. A finger on the younger boy's lips warned him to be silent, and not a moment too soon as the head of Kaito's personal guard came into view looking a little haggard and a little confused. He had a young woman with him that the prince recognized as another of his soldiers, her brown hair pulled up in a ponytail. What was her name again? Ah yes, Toyama Kazuha, that was it. He would have dismissed their presence as coincidence except that Hattori's green eyes kept flickering from face to face as he walked as though searching for someone or maybe expecting someone to jump out at him.

"Heiji," Kazuha was sighing in clear exasperation, "this is a festival. We're supposed to be having fun. His Majesty said we're just here to take a break."

"I don't believe it," Hattori announced, his chin jutting out stubbornly. "Think about it, Kazuha. The king always attends the festival at the capitol. Always! So what reason could he possibly have for coming here this year?"

His companion rolled her eyes. This was obviously not the first time they'd had this conversation. "Why can't he just want a change in scenery? I mean, his Majesty has never been much for routine."

Hattori waved his hand, dismissing the possibility as impossible. "He never does anything without a reason."

"Yes, well, sometimes that reason is to confuse people. It's just the way he is."

"That's not what I think."

"Yeah? And how many times have you told me that the entire royal family will never make any sense?"

Kaito raised an eyebrow at that, amused despite himself.

Hattori grumbled under his breath. He _ha_d said that a lot hadn't he? "That's not what I meant. All I'm saying is that I'll bet you anything his Highness is somewhere around here."

"The prince? Is that way Lady Akako came to Beika as well?"

Kaito cringed inside. Akako was here?

"I doubt it. I mean, if that were the case, I don't see why she would have stayed at the castle instead of coming to the festival with the rest of us."

That was a relief at least. He didn't think the residents of the city wanted to spend their festival night watching the two magic users duel if push came to shove.

Kazuha let out another long-suffering sigh. "Fine then, let's say his Highness is here at this festival. So what?"

Hattori stopped and she almost ran into him. "So what? How can you say that? He's been missing for days!"

"I know, but we all know he's more than capable of looking after himself. And if he's here at this festival, he's obviously not in any danger."

This made the guard captain finally pause and step back to reconsider the situation. "I guess… you're right."

"Finally!" Abruptly smiling, Kazuha took his hand and started off in the direction of the pastry stalls which Kaito and Shinichi had just left.

The prince waited until his guards were well out of earshot before loosening his grip on Shinichi and letting them both back out into the street.

"You really shouldn't worry them like that," Shinichi said, feeling a bit sorry for the royal guards. He'd met both of them on occasion and knew they were both good people very diligent about their jobs.

Kaito sighed. "It's not like I try to worry them. But there's not much I can do if they just choose not to believe me when I left a note telling them not to be concerned. And I'm sure Father can tell that it's authentic and actually from me."

"I suppose not."

.

Somehow, Shinichi wasn't at all surprised that the place Kaito had chosen for them to eat dinner was located on a restaurant balcony several floors above the street. They had a great view of the busy city plaza and its elaborate decorations from here, and in the distance you could make out the gleam of light upon the waters of the lake. Kaito had always had an odd fondness for high places. They were alone too, set apart from the rest of the diners seated indoors beyond the ornate archway.

What caught and held Shinichi's attention, however, was the music being played in this particular restaurant. The performance was being given live and they had a violinist who he could tell was really very talented. The notes of the melody rang out sweet and clear on the night air, rising above the distant din of the festival below, and Shinichi marveled at how it so easily caught and changed the atmosphere.

Kaito had apparently already arranged for their meal so they hadn't been given menus.

Returning his attention to his companion, Shinichi slowly shook his head. "You really went all out, didn't you? Those lanterns, the ones that went out of fashion eight years ago. That was the first festival we ever went to together, wasn't it? I knew I'd seen them before somewhere."

"And you liked them."

"I would have liked them no matter what they looked like. It was the excitement of just being at the festival."

Leaning back in his chair, the magician shrugged. "Perhaps."

"And those pastries," Shinichi continued, examining the clear gold liquid in the glasses the waiter set before them. Knowing Kaito, it probably wasn't wine even though it looked a lot like it. The prince hated alcoholic beverages with a passion, probably for the way they messed with people's minds, and Shinichi had to agree that he couldn't understand other people's fascination with the stuff. "It's like that festival you kidnapped me to attend all over again. I'm pretty sure we heard a violin performance during another festival, but I don't suppose it's the same musician."

"I couldn't find her," Kaito admitted, his voice tinged with regret. "But the music is the same."

Shinichi waited for him to elaborate but he didn't. And before he could pursue the subject, the waiter arrived with their first course. And after he left, Kaito effortlessly steered the conversation onto other things.

When dessert arrived in the form of pastries shaped like roses, Shinichi simply shook his head and ate it without comment. The moment he set his fork down, Kaito was on his feet and tugging him towards the railing. Shinichi started to ask him what was going on but his answer came in the form of the fireworks. Brilliant silver and gold streamers shot into the sky and burst in flurries of brilliant feathers. Thousands of birds took shape from the sparks, but instead of fading away, they flew back down to circle above the heads of their awed audience. None of the glowing, silver-white birds winged down towards them and lingered for a moment above his outstretched hand before finally soaring skyward once more and disappearing like a ghost into the darkness, losing its shadow amidst the stars.

Shinichi looked back at Kaito with wonder-filled eyes to find the magician watching him. "Is that why you were upset that last time with the fireworks? That's what you wanted them to do?"

Kaito nodded, not taking his gaze from his face. "Getting the light to do all that is a lot more complicated than one might think. But it's worth it, don't you think?"

"Yes, it is."

They stood there in silence for awhile longer as the fireworks show continued on, but Kaito was no longer watching them and neither was Shinichi. Taking a deep breath, Kaito reached out and grasped his hand, bringing it up to brush a kiss across the back. "Shinichi, will you marry me?"

When a startled Shinichi failed to respond right away, Kaito continued a little ruefully, not letting go of his hand. "I know I haven't really properly courted you yet so it's a bit inappropriate, but I was waiting for you to turn eighteen."

After all, that was when people usually started courting. Kaito might have had a reputation for not playing by the book, but he was careful when it came to relationships, especially relationships with people that he cared about.

"Though I guess since we can't get married until you're eighteen anyway, I have two years to court you—make up for lost time and that sort of thing. Even if we're engaged…"

Somewhere during his rambling, the pieces of the puzzle had finally all clicked into place in Shinichi's head and he smiled softly. Kaito trailed off when he saw the look on his face and Shinichi took the opportunity to lean up and press a chaste kiss to his lips. "Yes."

Kaito blinked, perhaps not expecting the simple, single word reply and Shinichi scratched the back of his neck, laughing a little self consciously.

"I was… kind of worried that you were going to ask somebody else. I mean, I know you've never officially courted me or anything, but I've always sort of… And you—I just thought… You know…"

That was possibly the most incoherent speech Kaito had ever heard. Luckily, he understood his Princess well enough to know what he was trying to say regardless.

"You really needn't have worried, you know. I was just waiting for the right time."

Grinning like a lunatic, he produced a ring with a flourish and slipped it onto Shinichi's finger. The platinum band seemed fairly simple upon first glance, set with a sapphire Kaito had chosen to match the color of his Princess's eyes. But when Shinichi tilted it in the moonlight, his keen gaze could pick out what seemed to be countless runes patterning the metal just beneath its glimmering surface.

"What did you do to it?"

Kaito tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Well, to put it simply, I put some wards on it. I figured that it might as well make itself useful and help me protect you. It can't cancel out all spells, but it should do well enough against the average magician. And it'll make it easier for me to find you if the need ever arises."

Oh, well, that was certainly useful and interesting.

"Thanks."

The prince raised a bemused eyebrow. "What for?"

Shinichi shrugged helplessly. For always looking out for him. For making life a lot more fun than he thought it would otherwise have been. For always being there. There really wasn't anywhere to begin and it would have sounded strange to try and describe the feelings anyway. So instead, he just said, "For everything."

Kaito's smile turned gentle and he closed the distance between them in one quick step. Catching Shinichi's chin with one hand, he tilted his head up and leaned down to capture his lips in a kiss rather more passionate than the one Shinichi had given him just a moment before. His other arm snaked around the younger boy's waist to draw him closer, their bodies fitting neatly together. Shinichi let his eyelids slide shut, savoring the warmth and maybe a little surprised at how natural it all felt, like everything in their relationship had been leading them towards this moment. So maybe that sounded rather overly dramatic, but then he did spend an almost absurd amount of time with one of the most theatrical people he knew.

As Kaito finally let him pull away, Shinichi spotted movement in the shadows behind him. Blue eyes narrowed in concentration. If he looked just right, he thought he could pick out a faimiliar figure walking away, vanishing into the darkness of the night with a flicker of shadow. Was that…?

"He just left, right?"

At the sudden question, Shinichi blinked and turned to look up at his companion. "You knew he was watching?"

Kaito smirked. "Of course I did. I wanted him to see."

"You did?"

"It makes it official. And I wanted him to know that I'm not going to change my mind." Pulling the smaller boy back into his arms, Kaito buried his nose in his hair and grinned. "Hey, Princess, do you think our parents would mind if we went on a trip around the world for our honeymoon?"

Two years was maybe a bit too early to start discussing their honeymoon, but then Kaito did like to plan ahead.

.

Akako Koizumi was waiting in one of the castle's smaller formal dining rooms enjoying a glass of wine with the queen when the king returned to it in a flash of silver light, a satisfied smile on his face. He acknowledged her presence with a nod and gave his wife a chaste kiss before sinking into the empty chair. "Good evening, dear ladies. I apologize for my tardiness seeing as I'm the one who scheduled this meeting."

"That's all right. I assume everything went as you wished, your Majesty," Akako mused, crossing her legs and leaning back in her chair.

Toichi's lips quirked in a grin so much like his son's. "You assume correctly."

Chikage looked amused, the corners of her lips turning upwards. "I always thought those two would end up together. I just never understood why Kaito never officially made a move. It's so unlike him to let things drag out."

"I think he just needed a push in the right direction, love." And boy had he chosen a great way to pressure the issue. Of course, seeing as Kaito was going to be the king someday, the matter of heirs would eventually have to come up. But Toichi was sure that if he and his son put their heads together, they could find a way to solve the problem. There had to be some advantages to being two of the most powerful magicians in the kingdom. Turning his attention back to the witch, Toichi continued, "Now, have you considered my proposition?"

The witch smiled slightly, brushing a lock of her long, crimson hair behind her ear. She really was a lovely young woman, but like his son, Toichi remained unaffected by her charms. Maybe it was a family trait that prevented the Kuroba men from falling for her, or maybe it was more just how much they trusted in their own hearts. Their incredible luck and ability to bend the world around them to suit them was what had given rise to Kerolei's many decades of peace. They were just so hard for other people to grasp. In all honesty, Akako rather liked that about them. And that was why…

"I've given it some thought and my answer is yes. I will gladly accept the ambassador's position once the other kingdom has been informed."

That was why she would use her considerable influence to do her best for them and make sure that this peace they had created lasted. The other kingdoms wouldn't know what hit them.

Yes, she would admit that there had been a time when she would very much have liked to marry the prince. But that had been a long time ago, before she'd realized that he would never love her. And he was really too much of a romantic at heart to ever marry a person he did not love.

As the sound of fireworks continued outside, she lifted her wine glass and smiled at the royal couple, a genuine smile that even Kaito might have thought was beautiful. "A toast to his Highness and Lord Kudou's son then. To an… interesting and eventful ever after."

* * *

><p><strong>END <strong>

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><p><strong>AN<strong>: And that's it:) I hope you enjoyed the story. I had a lot of fun writing it. I'm not sure why but this world just felt very vibrant which made working on it quite enjoyable.

As a side note, if you're interested, Alaena F.D. and I started a website for our DC stories where we could put stories and pictures together. This story isn't currently on there yet since we're still trying to figure out what would make a good sort of cover image, but you are welcome to check it out. The site is called Phantom Destinies, and it can be found at:

sites(dot)google(dot)com/site/phantomdestinies/home

.


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